


Scatter in the Wind

by Jevil_Joss



Category: RWBY
Genre: Angst, Established Relationship, F/F, RWBY Uncommon Ships, Tragedy, V3 spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-23
Updated: 2020-01-23
Packaged: 2021-02-27 05:08:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,806
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22371571
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jevil_Joss/pseuds/Jevil_Joss
Summary: Everything seemed like it was going well. But then things went south.
Relationships: Cinder Fall/Ruby Rose
Comments: 2
Kudos: 41
Collections: Real Good Shit, Uncommon RWBY Ships





	Scatter in the Wind

**Author's Note:**

> This work is set after Ashen Petals, though reading that fic is not necessary for this one.

Cinder had thought everything had been going so well. 

She'd confessed to Ruby, about the Maiden Powers, and Salem. Ruby had taken it rather well, especially as Cinder had immediately followed up with a proclamation of redemption. They'd stopped Roman. Cinder had given up the Maiden powers, and Ozpin had set that Amber was on a path to recovery.

But Emerald had betrayed them--she'd continued working for Salem. For whatever reason. Cinder didn't care at the moment. 

_They must hate me._

A variant of her backup plan. Pyrrha had, on live TV, ripped Penny Polendina to shreds. The Grimm had started to swarm. Cinder had seen the _look_ Yang had given her. They thought she'd betrayed them--or that she'd never been on their side in the first place. 

Cinder wasn't sure which was worse. But to top everything off, she felt a surge of power, of warmth. She knew, somehow, that Amber had been killed, and her powers stolen by Emerald. 

It looked very much like Cinder had done it, didn't it?

She covered her head, trying to shut out the rampaging Grimm around her. Atlesian robots stomped around, looking for civilians. None were around here--Cinder had managed to rescue the few she'd seen. 

_One good thing out of this._

"Cinder!"

_No, not her..._

"Cinder!"

_I can't confront her right now!_

"Cinder, where are you?"

Cinder cried in response, "Go away." 

Several gunshots, the distinctive sound of Ruby's scythe. Crescent Rose, she'd called it?

Ruby stepped around the cart Cinder was hiding behind. "Cinder...where have you been? Emerald, she...she did something! Yang thinks you were behind this, but you weren't, weren't you?"

"I didn't," Cinder managed to say. _State the facts._ "They used a back-up plan I'd come up with, back when I was with Salem, in case Roman failed." She huddled in on herself. "So I'm just as guilty as if I'd actually done it."

"But you didn't." Ruby knelt besides her, Weiss appearing from somewhere and taking out a Beowulf. "You tried to stop her."

"I failed."

"So did I. So did Yang, and Ozpin, and Ironwood, and...and Penny. We all failed." Ruby leaned forward, kissing Cinder. "But none of us are hiding behind food carts. We need to continue fighting. If we give up after one loss, Salem wins. _We need to stop her."_

Cinder slowly nodded, then allowed Ruby to pull her to her feet. She wiped the tears from her eyes. "Gods, Ruby...I'm sorry."

"I know."

She hadn't said, 'you didn't do anything'. Which was all the same to Cinder, because saying that would have been a lie. She felt like she could have taken a raging Ruby more than this one, a silent sentinel. Grieving for her friend. 

Her scroll rang. Ruby answered it. "Gods..." a voice breathed. Jaune? 

"What's going on?" Ruby asked. 

"Emerald--she--Ozpin's dead, and--you have to save Pyrrha."

"Where are you?" Weiss asked. 

"Don't worry about me! Help Pyrrha!"

"Then where is she?" Cinder said, authority sounding in her voice. She could lead. She could take charge. Ruby nodded in gratitude, exhaustion plain on her face. 

"At the top of Beacon. Hurry, before that _thing_ circles back!"

They got there quickly. Gears and rubble littered the surrounding area. The Wyvern had ripped the top off of Beacon Tower. 

"How do we get up there?" Cinder wondered aloud. "The stairs are too slow, and the power's almost definitely out..."

A series of white glyphs appeared up the side of the tower. 

"Run," Weiss said. "You two will be able to get up there if I hold up the glyphs."

"But what about you?" Cinder asked. She'd never particularly liked Weiss--not on the 'BFF' level that Ruby liked her. But she didn't want any more people dying on her account. 

Weiss gave her a stony glare. "You said you're sorry? Prove it. Save Pyrrha. _Be a hero._ "

Any other person would have felt worse at the comment. Cinder felt like it was what she deserved--she deserved Weiss's sternness more than Ruby's forgiveness. She nodded her thanks, and Weiss nodded back. Ruby took Cinder's hand, and said, "Ready?"

Cinder nodded. As on previous occasions, when Ruby picked her up with her Semblance, she felt her body disappear, turning into a swarm of glass petals. They rushed up the side of the tower, a feat only managed via Weiss's glyphs. When they reached the top, Cinder had her bow out, an arrow nocked. 

Pyrrha was on her knees, Aura down. Emerald stood in front of her, and laid one hand on Emerald's head. A flash of heat and light, and ashes scattered in the wind. Cinder's jaw dropped. Each flake of ash a painful reminder that every person who died tonight was on her. 

"Pyrrha," Ruby whispered. Cinder wanted to comfort her, to tell her she was sorry. Tears crawled down Ruby's cheeks, and she screamed. 

A white, silver light flared from her eyes. 

"What?" Emerald cried, stunned. 

Cinder braced herself. She still found herself screaming in pain. 

She didn't know how long it lasted, only that when it stopped, she couldn't speak. Her mouth was dry, and hoarse, and it didn't feel like a 'it'll pass in a minute' thing. She put both hands on the ground in front of her. Her left hand had most of the flesh ripped from it, the bone visible. Cinder found she had to turn to look at it--her left eye?

_The Grimm hand._

Emerald whimpered, collapsed fully on the ground in a pool of her own blood, in worse shape than Cinder. Cinder pulled her sword up, ready to stride forward and kill her. 

But Ruby. 

She turned, seeing the silver-eyed girl collapsed on the ground--unconscious, but unhurt. Cinder collapsed beside her, shaking her with her hands--though her left hand screamed in protest. 

"Ruby," she croaked. "Wake up."

But Ruby didn't. Cinder breathed in and out, her lungs burning. Then, she lifted Ruby and carried her, bridal style, to the staircase. 

Every step she took burned. Every step she took, her arm screamed in pain. But every ounce of pain made her think again that if she left Ruby here, there was a strong chance she would die.

Yet, somehow, she managed to get Ruby out the front door, seeing Weiss and Yang. 

"Help...her," Cinder croaked to the two. Then she collapsed. She didn't hit the ground--someone strong and muscular grabbed her and picked her up. 

And she passed out. 

Ruby awoke in her bed, in her home, on the island of Patch. She sat bolt upright, confusion welling up inside of her. Tai sat on a chair beside her, but lifted his head out of her arms. "You're awake!"

"I guess," Ruby said. "What..."

"Thank the gods," Tai interrupted, falling back into his seat. "You'd gone full comatose--nothing other than your breathing telling us you were alive. For a full week!"

"What happened?" Ruby asked. 

Tai looked at her, then sighed. "Emerald and Mercury won. Beacon's fallen."

"Pyrrha..." Ruby whispered. 

Tai nodded. "She's gone. Along with Ozpin and Penny."

Ruby leaned back on her bed. 

"And after what you did to the Wyvern, it's just sort of...sat there."

"Wait--what do you mean, after what I did to it?" Ruby looked at her father. 

"I'll explain," her uncle's voice interrupted. Qrow nodded to Tai. Tai got up and left. 

"What's...the last thing you remember, Ruby?"

Ruby walked through her house, pajamas somehow feeling foreign on her skin. She stopped outside Yang's room. "Sis?" she said. 

"I don't want to talk right now," Yang said, not looking at Ruby. 

"Yang...where are the others? Where's Weiss?"

"Weiss was taken back to Atlas by her father," Yang mumbled. "He wanted to 'make sure his assets were safe'."

"But..."

"And Blake ran!" Yang shouted. "She fucking ran away and left us! Left me!" Yang looked away again. "Just leave me alone. Go talk with Cinder or something. At least your love is actually here..." The last part seemed to be said more to herself than her sister.

"Yang...where's Cinder?"

_"Silver eyed warriors, kid. From what I know, I don't think we're going to be hearing from Emerald any time soon...compared to what happened to her, Cinder got off lucky."_

_"What happened to Cinder?"_

_"...She made some choices in the past, kiddo. For power. Doesn't matter that she changed her mind--she still made those choices. Her left arm is part Grimm--so your silver eyes hurt her badly. Not as badly as it could have been--but...she hasn't been able to speak above a whisper for the week you've been asleep. She lost an eye, and her arm...you need to see that one yourself."_

Ruby stepped out into the garden. Jaune looked up at her. "You're awake!"

Ren and Nora peaked around him. Then, a familiar figure in a red dress rose from a chair. Cinder. True to Qrow's words, a massive x-shaped scar covered her left eye. That arm was...Grimm? It looked completely skeletal, with only two long, black fingers. Cinder's first expression was happy, then nervous. She began rubbing her Grimm arm awkwardly. She tried to say something, but nothing came out. 

Ruby lunged forward, throwing her arms around Cinder. "I'm so sorry," she said. "I didn't mean to hurt you..."

Cinder hugged Ruby back, then, hesitantly, kissed her on the cheek. 

**Months later...**

Ruby finished the note, signing her name with a flourish. She quickly left the house, hesitating slightly in the doorway to Yang's room as she passed. But she didn't say goodbye to her. Instead, she left through the front door, closing it behind her. 

"Ready for this?" Jaune asked. He had his arms folded over his chest, as did Ren. Nora's arms swung at her sides. 

Cinder had her right hand on her hip, her left sleeve extended to cover the Grimm arm. Ruby looked among the four of them. 

"As I'll ever be," Ruby said. "We know Salem had some plan for Haven, next. We just need to head there, and hopefully, get there before her plan kicks in."

Cinder nodded. She started to say something, but Ruby put a hand on her love's shoulder. "Don't strain yourself," Ruby said. "Take it slow."

Cinder nodded. Ruby kissed her, to drive her point home. "Let's start moving," she said, her feet crunching on snow. 

Jaune pulled out a map. "I've planned a route that'll take us through plenty of towns. We'll get plenty of food and rest."

"And perhaps, we'll be able to get some pain killers for Cinder," Ruby said, quietly. Cinder shook her head vigorously. "Okay. Scratch that, then." She looked up at the sky, then back to the road. "To Haven."

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to continue on with this one, especially after I saw how many people liked the first one. And as for the name, I saw 'Ashen Petals', and I thought of a theme. So so far we have--  
> "Ashen Petals--Scatter in the Wind."  
> We'll see how far I can take this! This fic kind of got pretty long, longer than I thought I could take it, in any case.   
> And as always, feel free to leave a comment, if you just wanted to say something or had a ship you wanted to see me write!


End file.
